Sarah Holman's Blog, page 101

Writing Saturday: A Bit of Inspiration #12

Sometimes we need to be reminded of our faith to encourage us to keep writing.

My Theme verse

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:19- 21 NIV

I was busy writing and this verse came to mind. It is now the theme verse for my book.

There also lived a beautiful girl....

Selah Harrrison
\Not my Image. Source 
Selah is an indentured servant who works in one of Boston's fine taverns.

There lived a Young Man named...

William Landoor
Not my Image. Source
Meet my main character, William Landoor. Son of a loyal British merchant. 

Adventure Between the Pages: Martyr's Fire by Sigmund Brouwer

Age Appropriate For: 10 + for violence, Druids, and mild romanceBest for Ages: 10 - 18
Description: Will this dangerous quest lead the outcast Orphan King toward an ancient secret—or to certain destruction? Posing as a beggar, Thomas escapes Magnus after fifteen men, who are calling themselves the Priests of the Holy Grail, arrive and take control of the castle through wondrous acts and apparent miracles. With the help of his longtime friend Gervaise, Thomas sets out on a journey that leads him to the ancient Holy Land. Unaware that Katherine and Hawkwood are watching over him, Thomas is tested in his beliefs and comes face to face with the ancient power that the Merlins and Druids have long been searching for.
I have been snapping up this series to review as each book has come out. Set in my favorite time period (the Middle Ages), and full of nonstop adventure, how could I help but love it. On a lazy Sunday afternoon I picked up this book to read and finished it in a day.
Again I was plunged into the battle of good versus evil in Magnus. The young ruler, Thomas has new enemies, the Priests of the Holy Grail, who are not all the appear to be. Thomas is forced to flee Magnus and look for answers to questions that have been plaguing him since book one.
About half-way through this book, I wanted to scream. To be honest, it was getting really old that nobody was trusting anybody and secrets are kept secrets from the reader. That was great in the first book, okay in the second, but by the third book, I wanted answers and some trust. Thankfully, much is revealed by the end of the book so I didn’t need to scream.
The action and adventure were even better in this book then the last one. Thomas escape from Magnus and his leap of faith (you have to read the book to understand what that means) was so amazing! Sigmund Brouwer is that master of action for young adults.
I still feel that this book was a little long in places. Towards the end, it felt a bit repetitive. Like, yet again Thomas does something daring, something goes wrong, someone comes to the rescue. There is a limit to how many times this can be used before it becomes tedious.
I highly recommend this book and series for boys, and girls, who love adventure stories, the Middle Ages, and nonstop adventure.
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I received this book from WaterBrook Press in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Working Title Revealed

The working title for my story is...
A Different Kind of Courage
We shall see if the title fits the story when I am finished.

Covers revealed

Look at what an amazing job Jessica Greyson did with the cover for Adventures and Adversities
Synopsis: One day Alditha is content living with her family, the next she is taking her friends place to serve at the king’s castle. Her father's final instructions, to keep smiling and to do what is right, will be harder to live out then she ever imagined. She will face a royal nephew who delights in making people miserable, an angry servant girl that will stop at nothing to get what she wants, and noblemen who plot murder. Will she be able to keep the promise she made to her father? Will she find the faith she longs for during all her Adventures and Adversities?
I myself am very excited about Jessica Greyson's newest book!


Synopsis: The troubled people of war-torn Chambria are on the brink of starvation, and a delicate princess with a recurring nightmare is their only hope. Alexandra knows that her value to her country consists mainly in her ability to marry well, but when she is kidnapped by the rebels and taken to meet the man claiming to be both Chambria's true king and her real father, her entire world falls apart. Will Princess Alexandra be able to untangle the web of lies and discern who is the true king and her father?

Long, long ago....

So, it has begun, and as I promised, I will begin to reveal bits of my project all through the month.
This is me with a book my mom got for me because I really, REALLY wanted it for my research.
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To my Blogging Friends....

Well, my days are full right now. I am very busy putting the final touches on my book and getting ready for publication on November 15th! On November 1st, I will be doing a big cover reveal of both my book cover and my dear friend Jessica Greyson's cover! Would you like to be part of the cover reveal? You would get to see both covers before anyone else. You can email me at thedestinyofone(at)juno(dot)com if you are interested. Well I am off to get busy!

The Best a Writer Could Ask For

Today I want to thank my daring editor. The girl who has gone where many editor has feared to go. Yes, my manuscripts can be very scary. Thanks to this lady, people are actually be able to read and understand my books.

Rachelle Rea is the best editor I have ever had. She has helped me not only spot my mistakes, but also has helped improved my writing style. 
If you need an editor, I highly recommend Rachelle Rea, Editor.
Here are what some other people are saying about Rachelle.
Rachelle Rea has a sharp eye and kind heart, which makes her an excellent proofreader. She was very easy to work with and met our tight deadline with no problems. 
Next time we need proofreading, we'll definitely ask Rachelle! - Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson,authors of Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft into a Published Book and bloggers at Go Teen Writers


When I approached Rachelle to work through my proposal with a fine tooth comb, along with a request for a super short turn around time, I had no idea how fast she would get the job done with such an attention to detail. Her editorial skills are superb. She is able to see those ornery little typos and spelling mistakes, along with picking up on consistency issues and addressing grammatical errors. In addition, she gracefully suggests phrasing changes and even puts in a note of encouragement here and there! 
I will be hiring Rachelle again in the future and highly recommend her services!- Elisa Pulliam, author of  Impact My Life: Biblical Mentoring Simplified  and Director of  More to Be

Fast, yet thorough - Rachelle Rea was quick in proofreading my manuscript without skimping on her work effort. She has a wonderful sense of rhythm in syntax, along with a sharp eye to catch grammatical mistakes and other details that could hinder the flow or clarity of a story. Her comments are a helpful balance of guiding questions and encouragement. She's both talented in her work and kind in her communications, and I'd be happy to hire her again as a proofreader!- Amber Stokes,author of Bleeding Heart, blogger at Seasons of Humility, and fellow freelance editor
Rachelle Rea was invaluable in critiquing and editing my books. She was able to tell me, in terms I could understand, not just how to improve my book, but also my style. 
I know my future books will be better because of Rachelle. - Sarah Holman, author of the Destiny series and blogger at Destiny of One

Rachelle Rea is an encouraging person, always looking for the strong points in your writing, and she helps you strengthen the weak points. I would definitely recommend her editing services to anyone looking to polish their writing.- Shannon Meiers, author of The Girl and Her Crutch